Stela F: 18-Rabbit as ballplayer
Stela F: Dedicated October 9, 721 A.D. or 9.14.10.0.0. 5 Ahau 3 Mac Maya longcount date
Stela F presents 18-Rabbit as a Ballplayer, as does its companion Stella 4. To the Maya, the ballgame had deep mythological connections with the story of the creation of the world and the birth of the Maize God. The ballcourt was a place where the battle of good and evil took place, the playing alley the portal to Xibalba, where powerful and malignant gods resided. Hun Hunahpu was the original ballplayer, defeated and beheaded by the Lords of Death, later to be rescued by his sons the Hero Twins (also ballplayers) to be reborn as the Maize God.
The graceful Stela F, which stands north of Stela H and the three G altars on the east side of the Great Plaza, may be the most beautiful of all 18-Rabbit's freestanding sculptures. It is a masterpiece of gesture, fluid form, and finely sculpted detail. The king stands with forearms extended, cradling the serpent bar; his wrists sag and incline slightly forward to suggest the weight of his burden. Rounded contours of muscle flesh out the thighs and calves of his legs, for the king is an athlete and a warrior, a hero of battle and of the deadly matches he plays in his ball court.
The belt assemblage of wood and twisted matting or leather that binds his waist resembles the heavy belts used by ballplayers to strike the ball and protect their torsos from its impact. The ruler's feet, shod in high-backed sandals, are firmly braced to support the weight of his muscular body and the belt, headdress, and tall back-rack he wears.
Elizabeth Newsome, Trees of Paradise and Pillars of the World: The Serial Stela Cycle of "18-Rabbit-God K," King of Copan, p. 141
The altar: Witz mountain monster
Altar for Stela F: Dedicated October 9, 721 A.D. or 9.14.10.0.0. 5 Ahau 3 Mac Maya longcount date
The altar that sits in front of Stela F represents a huge mountain monster that may relate to a poorly understood myth relating to the patron gods of Copan.